"Born alone, will die alone; come alone, will be gone alone; study alone, walk alone": This is said to have been the mantra of one of Japan's greatest 20th-century artists, the boisterous, arrogant and brilliant Rosanjin Kitaoji (1883-1959).
Stories of this legendary artist abound, but one particularly revealing of his intuitive genius dates from when he was only 3. Rosanjin himself, in 1951, told it to the art critic Kozo Yoshida.
"I was taken one day up a hilly path leading to Mount Jinguji behind the Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. The area along and around the path was a riot of wild azalea blossoms of burning red. The beauty of the scene with the sun shining brilliantly on it was simply beyond words. Even the air appeared to glisten like a crystal. I was profoundly moved by this fascinating display -- the very first one for me -- of the beauty of Mother Nature, and a sort of determination rose in me to devote all my life to the pursuit and propagation of beauty."
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